Shi Chuan's words put Meng Shizhen into an extremely disadvantageous situation.
According to Shi Chuan's guess, Xu Zhiqiong was suspected of murder. He was not in Beiyuan last night, but went to Wang'an River.
The people who lit the lanterns at night were four other lantern men, not Xu Zhiqiong at all.
Meng Shizhen lied and deliberately protected Xu Zhiqiong.
This is to punish Xu Zhiqiong and Meng Shizhen to death.
Meng Shizhen took the risk and was ready to tell the truth: "Xu Zhiqiong lit the lanterns last night, and I all went..."
He wanted to say that they all went to Zhu Skull Tea House to drink tea. The owner of Zhu Skull Tea House can testify.
The lanterns were lit by Xu Zhiqiong alone. Xu Zhiqiong had been in Beiyuan all night and could not go to Wang'an River.
Halfway through his words, Xu Zhiqiong snatched the conversation away.
Saying this will do more harm than good.
He said that all the lights were lit by Xu Zhiqiong, which seemed to prove that Xu Zhiqiong was in Beiyuan all night.
But this also triggered another problem. Xu Zhiqiong was out of sight of Meng Shizhen and other Bai Denglang all night.
If they were out of sight, would their testimony still be valid?
Of course, this matter can also be explained clearly. Xu Zhiqiong was originally loyal and honest, and it was normal behavior to light the lamp alone.
But now Shi Chuan is biting, he doesn't need to reason, he just needs to find loopholes.
If you expose any flaw for him to bite, you will suffer a loss. The more focuses of dispute, the greater the loss you will suffer.
You must shift the focus of the problem away from yourself.
Xu Zhiqiong said: "Besides Meng Qingdeng and several other Baideng, there are still people who know that I went to Beiyuan."
Yi Xulu asked: "Who?"
"North Gate City Gate Captain, Wu Shanxing, I passed by the city gate last night and sat with him for a while."
Yi Xulu nodded and said, "You told me about this person before. He is your classmate."
Shi Chuan coughed and said, "Classmate, the friendship is naturally deep."
He also suspected Wu Shanxing of perjury.
This man is really a vicious dog. Meng Shizhen was so angry that he gnashed his teeth. Green Lantern Master Qiao Shungang couldn't help it anymore: "Shi Chuan, you have such a big mouth and you are telling lies to everyone, are you the only one telling the truth?"
Shi Chuan cupped his hands and said, "My subordinate just said it casually, which does not mean that Xu Zhiqiong is guilty."
Meng Shizhen was so angry that she turned around and said to Wang Zhennan: "You have a good tongue. You can speak for me. If you kill this bastard Shi Chuan, I will find you a new concubine."
Wang Zhennan is known as Wu Xiucai, and his eloquence is one of the best in Zhangdeng Yamen.
It's not that he didn't want to say it, Shi Chuan's mouth was too rogue, and it would be easy to fall into his trap if he spoke hastily. He also realized that the more arguments there were, the more Xu Zhiqiong would suffer.
Xu Zhiqiong said: "Not only Wu Shanxing saw me at that time, but also the guards at the north gate saw it. If all the guards at the north gate are lying, I will go to the Ministry of War to demand people and arrest them all!"
Shi Chuan pursed his lips and said, "I, that's not what I meant..."
I couldn’t hold my breath any longer. Xu Zhiqiong must have been to Beiyuan. There is no doubt that the city gate captain and ten city guards testified.
But Shi Chuan wanted to change places and bite again: "When did you see Wu Shanxing?"
Xu Zhiqiong said: "Two is more."
"Have you been drinking?"
"It's cold, so I had a few drinks."
Shi Chuan calculated the time: "On the second watch, we walk from Beiyuan to Wang'an River. If we walk faster, it will take more than an hour. By the time we finish the work, it will be up and down on the fourth watch."
Meng Shizhen was about to rush up and beat Shi Chuan: "What are you doing? Damn you..."
Wang Zhennan pulled him aside.
Shi Chuan hid behind Dong Qingshan and continued: "This young man becomes impulsive easily after drinking some alcohol. I'm not saying that Xu Zhiqiong is guilty, I just said that casually."
According to his statement, after Xu Zhiqiong and Wu Shanxing drank, they went to Wang'an River and killed Wang Shijie.
It sounds ridiculous, but some cases are really decided this way.
I felt that this person had a motive and the time to commit the crime. If he was dragged to the execution room and beaten to death for several days and nights, he would definitely be able to extract a confession.
It doesn't matter whether the confession is true or not. It doesn't matter whether it is unreasonable or not. It is important that the case can be closed.
Fortunately, Xu Zhiqiong was prepared: "Someone still saw me in Beiyuan."
Yi Xulu asked: "Who else?"
Xu Zhiqiong said: "The proprietress of the white peony tea shop, I went to drink the tea in the middle of the night! If Qianhu doesn't believe it, you can ask someone to ask."
Shi Chuan thought for a moment and said: "If we go to Wang'an River in the middle of the night, and we happen to bump into Wang Shijie in the fifth watch, there will be enough time."
Wang Zhennan said from the side: "It sounds like you saw it. Have you been following Wang Shijie?"
Shi Chuan shook his head and said, "I just said that casually..."
Wang Zhennan took over and said, "I just said this casually. Although you and Wang Shijie have the closest relationship, even if you stayed with him for a night, you can't say that you killed this person."
Shi Chuan rounded his eyes and said, "What does this have to do with me? I'm talking about Xu Zhiqiong. Even if I go to Wang'an River in the middle of the night, it's still too late..."
Xu Zhiqiong said: "I didn't go to Wang'an River last night. After drinking tea, I continued to patrol the night. On the fourth watch, I went to buy flower cakes from Second Sister Lin. Second Sister Lin can testify."
Shi Chuan pursed his lips and said: "Then, after your fourth update..."
"After the fourth watch, I still patrolled the night. At the fifth watch, I went to Goulan."
"Did you go to Goulan?" Meng Shizhen was surprised.
Shi Chuan shouted: "Is it Goulan from Qiaotou Wa City?"
Wang Zhennan stamped his feet and thought to himself: Did this silly boy really go to Wang'an River last night?
Lu Yinpeng turned around anxiously. If he had known that this boy wanted it so much, he would not have snatched it from him last night.
Xu Zhiqiong said calmly: "I went to the Peach Blossom Shed in Beiyuan Wa City to watch dancing there."
"Peach blossom shed?" Meng Shizhen was stunned, "You want to go to that shabby place too?"
Xu Zhiqiong sniffed and said, "It's very nice there. The owner of Peach Blossom Shed can vouch for me."
Wang Zhennan looked at Shi Chuan and said, "What do you say this time? Xu Zhiqiong has been in Beiyuan all night."
Shi Chuan wanted to continue: "If it's the fifth watch..."
Yang Wu quit: "Shi Denglang, I saw Wang Denglang's body at the fifth watch! Don't you know about this?"
Shi Chuan pursed his lips and said, "I wasn't there at the time, so I just..."
Wang Zhennan got the opportunity and asked: "Shi Denglang, where were you at that time?"
Shi Chuan was stunned: "I lit the lamp at that time!"
Wang Zhennan said: "Who proved that you lit the lamp?"
Shi Chuan said in astonishment: "Dong Qingdeng testified for me. I lit both the lamps he asked me to light."
Wang Zhennan said: "The two lamps were lit in the blink of an eye. There is so much time left, where have you been?"
Shi Chuan went to Zuiyu Pavilion last night and got drunk all night in the clouds and rain, but he couldn't say this.
"Wang Denglang, where did I go last night? What does it have to do with you? I have a good relationship with Wang Shijie, but you actually suspected me?"
Wang Zhennan said: "Just because you were familiar with him, Wang Shijie was unprepared when he died, without fighting or calling for help. Do you think this is true?"
Shi Chuan said angrily: "What's the truth?"
Wang Zhennan said: "I'm not saying that you must have done this. I'm just saying this. Although the murderer looks very much like you, it may be someone else."
"You!" Shi Chuan's veins jumped, and he couldn't think of how to refute.
Meng Shizhen felt so happy: "Old Wang, let me find you a concubine first."
Dong Qingshan, the Green Lantern Master, quickly came out to smooth things over: "You've said too much, you've said too much. These are all angry words. It was Shi Chuan who said the wrong thing just now. Don't mind."
"Stop talking nonsense! Why do you say you don't mind!" Green Lantern Man Qiao Shungang was already furious, "This is a trial! I'm going to say it was Shi Chuan who did it! I'm going to say he killed someone!"
Xiao Songting knew Qiao Shungang's temper. He was wronged, so he quickly stepped forward to comfort him: "Old Qiao, blame me for this, blame me, Shi Chuan is indebted, I will definitely give you an explanation in the future."
"Excuse me!" Qiao Shungang pushed Xiao Songting away, stepped forward and grabbed Shi Chuan, "I will say today that you committed murder, don't you accept it?"
Shi Chuan was so frightened that he peed his pants: "Qiao Baihu, I just said casually, please calm down, calm down!"
There was a commotion in the main hall, and Yi Xulou's blood pressure was about to go off the charts.
"Stop it!" Old Red Lantern roared, and everyone fell silent.
Yi Xulu pointed at the corpse and said: "Collect Wang Shijie's body and examine it carefully. All the lantern-carrying men are resting in the hut and are not allowed to leave the Yamen!"
He felt that Shi Chuan was right. He believed that an acquaintance had done this. Xu Zhiqiong was the most suspicious, and the others had to be controlled first.
Yi Xulu selected a few confidants, took the two green lights involved, Xiao Songting and Qiao Shungang, and went to Beiyuan together.
Logically speaking, when conducting questioning at the Yamen in Charge, the witness should be brought to the Yamen.
But this matter was not trivial. Yi Xulou interrogated him on the spot and did not give the other party a chance to speculate on his confession.
When they arrived at Beiyuan, Yi Xulu went to the city gate first. Wu Shanxing was resting in the camp. When he learned that the red lantern man came to ask questions, he hurriedly stepped forward to answer: "Xu Zhiqiong came last night and had two glasses of rice wine with Beizhi. There was no such thing as
Being greedy will ruin things."
Yi Xulu asked: "When did he come?"
Wu Shanxing replied: "At the second watch, I remember hearing the sound of the watch banging. This is usually the time."
Yi Xulu cupped his fists, Wu Shanxing returned the favor, and the red lantern man went to the white peony tea shop again.
There was not much business during the day. The landlady was taking a nap in the back room and asked the waiter to take care of it. When she heard that the red lantern man was coming, the young lady was so frightened that she was covered in sweat. It took a long time to understand the question: "You want to ask Mr. Xu?
Xu Denglang has been here and has a cup of tea every night."
"When did you come?"
"This, this..." The young lady thought for a long time, and suddenly remembered that Xu Zhiqiong asked about the time last night, "It's already three o'clock, and it took a long time to walk over."
The testimony of the White Peony Tea Shop is no problem either.
Yi Xulu went to Second Sister Lin's flower cake shop again. Although Second Sister Lin was a girl, she was naturally calm and didn't panic when she saw the lantern man.
Yi Xulu asked: "Xu Zhiqiong, the white lantern master in charge of the yamen, did you come to your place last night?"
Second Sister Lin nodded and said, "I've been here and bought a pound of multiflora cake."
Yi Xulu asked again: "Do you remember when you came?"
"It's the fourth watch day, and the watchman has just left."
There's nothing wrong with Sister Lin's testimony either.
Finally we arrived at Beiyuan House and Peach Blossom Shed.
There were no performances at the Peach Blossom Shed during the day. The boss and the dancers had gone to bed, leaving only one waiter outside to look after the door.
Seeing the red lantern man, the waiter thought he had a nightmare and slapped himself several times. When he realized it was not a dream, his body went limp and he knelt on the ground trembling.
Yi Xulu asked: "Xu Zhiqiong, the white lantern master in charge of the yamen, did you come last night?"
"Hey, hey, hey..." The guy opened his mouth but couldn't close it, and couldn't speak clearly.
"Coming or not coming?"
"Hi, hello tonight!" (Come on, I'm here at night)
"What do you mean?"
"Xu Deng, hello, hello tonight!"
Listening to his nonsense, Yi Xulu was furious: "Lantern man! Hold the lantern!"
Green Lantern Master Gong Taijin took out a three-foot iron box, pulled the switch, and released forty-eight red lanterns, twenty-four on each side, creating a lantern hall.
The red lantern man's reputation is much greater than that of the green lantern man. The man holding the lantern for him is not the white lantern man, but the green lantern man, Gong Taijin, a seventh-grade cultivator of the Mohist family.
Yi Xulou has not held a lantern for many years. Under the lanterns on both sides, an invisible wall has been formed, which is the Biao Chi Iron Wall. It looks no different from Qing Denglang's Biao Chi Iron Wall.
But it's daytime now, but it's night inside the iron wall.
The sky is pitch black, the red lights are dazzling, the dark clouds are rolling with lightning and thunder, and the wind is howling and smoke is flying everywhere. This lighted court is like bringing hell to the human world.
Looking outside, I was frightened.
Looking inside, I was stunned.
The waiter was so frightened that he fainted directly in the lantern holder's court. Yi Xulou was furious and ordered the lantern holder to arrest everyone in the hook bar.
The boss, dancers, busboys, and cooks were all arrested. In the courtroom, only the boss could speak.
"Xu Denglang has been here, every night, and he also came last night!" The boss spoke in a very miserable tone, but at least he could speak clearly.
Yi Xulu shouted: "When did you come?"
The sound was like thunder falling from the sky.
In fact, this is a thunderbolt. If Yi Xulou suspects that the boss is lying, he can kill the shop owner with just a roar.
"What, when, when did it come..." The shop owner really couldn't remember. When Xu Zhiqiong came, he fell asleep.
Yi Xulu shouted: "Torture me!"
A red light floated to the top of Yi Xulou's head. It contained scalding hot oil and was about to fall on the boss.
The boss screamed, and suddenly he heard a dancer say: "I remember, I remember, Xu Denglang came at five o'clock last night, and I heard the banging sound. Xu Denglang asked me to rub his legs, and I rubbed them both.
, and then Xu Denglang fell asleep and left again before dawn. What the girl said is the truth! "
This scare reminded the dancers.
The clerk also woke up, "That's right, it's the fifth watch!"
The testimonies of all parties are clear. In addition, there are twelve night watch lights that can be used as physical evidence.
There are quite a few marks on the night watch light!
Xu Zhiqiong's suspicion was cleared.
If not Xu Zhiqiong, who could it be?
Since this matter has nothing to do with Xu Zhiqiong, it also proves that it has nothing to do with Beiyuan, so we can only go to Wang'an River.
Yi Xulou ordered the lights to be turned off and led the crowd to Wang'an River. They searched the place where the body was found all afternoon, but found nothing.
Who could have done this?
Is it really Shi Chuan's thief's cry to catch the thief?
The old red lamp covered his head and felt dizzy. Suddenly he saw a green lampman coming to report: "Wu Qianhu has returned to the Yamen."